Hi all – here’s the latest weekly preview of library events from 12 December onwards:

Also just a reminder of our festive opening hours. Libraries are generally open as normal but are all closed on 25, 26, 27 December and 1^st and 2 January –https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/news/xmas-opening-hours/

Ipswich area events:

Meet Father Christmas at Chantry Library on Thursday 15 December from 9.30am to 12noon. https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/chantry-2016-12-15-father-christmas/

There will also be carol singing in the library from 6pm to 8pm.

Ipswich Library presents Boswell & Cooper’s ‘Figgy Pudding’ on Saturday 17 December at 2.30pm. An afternoon of poetry and prose for Christmas including mulled wine and mince pies.https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/ipswich-2016-12-17-boswell-cooper/

Local author Rosy Thornton will be at Ipswich County Library on Wednesday 28 December – https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/ipswich-2016-12-28-rosy-thornton/

Christmas fair at Gainsborough Library:

There will be real donkeys at Gainsborough Library when Father Christmas makes a visit to the Christmas Fair on Friday 16 December from 4pm to 6pm. With plenty of other festive activities

https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/gainsborough-2016-12-16-xmas-fair/

Gainsborough Library is also holding two Christmas Minecraft sessions on Friday 23 and Friday 30 December from 2pm to 4pm and on Thursday 22 December, children can make Christmas crafts using recycled materials with sessions from 10am to 12noon and 1pm to 3pm.

Local children are invited to help create a festive Christmas wall with colourful handprints at Capel St Mary Library with special sessions on Friday 16 December from 3.30pm to 5pm, and from 10.30am to 2.30pm on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 December.

Bury Library/ West Suffolk events:

On Wednesday 14 December Bury Library is hosting a drop-in session with Healthwatch Suffolk from 8.30am to 5.30pm. Come along and get your voice heard on topics affecting your local health services. Anyone attending Bury Library’s regular Top Time group for older people on Friday 23 December is invited to have a go at circle dancing from 10am to 12noon.

East Suffolk 

Suffolk and Norfolk Crime Reduction Team will be visiting Framlingham Library on Monday 12 December from 10am to 12noon to provide information and advice. The Suffolk Driving Safety Team will also be at Framlingham Library with their driving simulator on Tuesday 13 December from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Framlingham Library are open all day on Christmas Eve and are offering customers who drop in a mince pie and glass of mulled fruit punch

On Saturday 17 December the Felixstowe Community Choir will be performing Christmas songs and carols from the library’s first floor balcony at 11am.https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/felixstowe-2016-12-17-carols/

Christmas Miscellany at Woodbridge Library with Mark Mitchels on Wednesday 14 December at 7.30pm. Come and celebrate the Christmas season with one of the library’s favourite speakers, Mark Mitchels. https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/woodbridge-2016-12-14-christmas-miscellany/

Woodbridge Library are holding their Christmas Spectacular event all day on Thursday 15 December with various performances and activitieshttps://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/woodbridge-2016-12-15-xmas-spectacular/

Waveney events

There’s a free Russian taster session at Southwold Library on Monday 12 December –

https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/southwold-2016-12-12-russian-taster/

Southwold Library are inviting children to decorate their own Christmassy tortoise on Thursday 22 December https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/southwold-2016-12-22-festive-tortoise/

Until Sunday 15 January there is a chance for any children under 16 to win family tickets to the Reydon and Southwold Pantomime Aladdin. All you need to do it pick up an entry form from Southwold Library and design a magic flying carpet for Aladdin – https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/southwold-2016-11-14-pantomime-competition/

As part of the regular Top Time activity, author Mark Mower will be at Beccles Library from 2pm to 3.30pm on Thursday 15 December reading from his latest book ‘The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories.’ https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/beccles-2016-12-15-top-time-mark-mower/

At part of Beccles Library’s Top Time group on 22 December there will be a play reading of ‘Christmas 1919’ by Jill Allum and friends which tells the story of a Beccles resident’s German grandfather, Rudolf Shreiver. It is also the story of Germans interned in Alexandra Palace, as Rudolf was, from 1914-1919. https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/beccles-2016-12-22-top-time-christmas-1919/

Babergh/Sudbury area

There will be a Santa’s grotto in Sudbury Library hosted by Sudbury Rotary Club on five days before Christmas – on Friday 16 December, Saturday 17 December, Wednesday 21 December, Thursday 22 December and on Friday 23 December. The sessions will run from 10am to 12noon and 2.30pm to 4.30pm on all these days. Meet Santa in his grotto in the children’s section of the library. Entry fee includes a gift! https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/libraries/sudbury-library/

Haverhill 

Haverhill Library is again offering children the chance to write to Father Christmas  and receive a reply at a special Christmas story time on 20 Decemberhttps://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/haverhill-2016-12-01-father-xmas-letters/

https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/haverhill-2016-12-20-xmas-storytime/

Children can also make a ‘Santa stop here’ sign at Haverhill Library on Monday 19 December from 10.30am to 11.30am  https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/haverhill-2016-12-19-xmas-crafts/

Suffolk Libraries Presents screenings:

There is a screening of New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker at Lowestoft Library on Friday 16 December at 7pm

https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/lowestoft-2016-12-16-nutcracker/

Ixworth Library are screening a recording of Twelth Night at the Globe Theatre on Sunday 18 December –

https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/ixworth-2016-12-18-presents-twelfth-night/

Gainsborough Library are also screening the Nutcracker on Thursday 22 December https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/gainsborough-2016-12-22-nutcracker/

Capel St Mary Library are also screening the recent Disney remake of Pete’s Dragon on Friday 23 December at 10.30am. https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/capel-2016-12-23-petes-dragon/